We all love a Pinterest board, but sometimes the choices available to us in the world of interior design can be overwhelming. If you don’t have the funds to take on an interior design or want to learn about the process yourself, a quick online course on interior design might do the trick. Fortunately, there are now dozens of brilliant online and in-person courses, workshops and tutorials to pick from, all run by top interior designers. We’ve picked out some of our favourites for you to choose from.
The best interior design courses and workshops to join online or in person
Inchbald Online Design Your Living Space
You’d be hard pressed to find a course that’s as practical in improving your home life as this one. Focusing on the skills and techniques of interior decoration, it takes students through the process of designing a specific space, introducing the principles of interior design and decoration along the way. ‘It’s a fantastic opportunity to see your own home as a fresh challenge, and it is satisfying to know that the ideas you explore and the decisions you ultimately make can lead to a tangible difference in your quality of life,’ says Alan Hughes, principal of the interior design faculty at Inchbald. ‘The pandemic has created a renewed focus on the home and the adaptations needed to create a more harmonious balance between home and work life. Never has there been such a concentration on the efficiency of a space, as well as its look and feel, and achieving a pleasing balance between the two is something that this course can help you to do.’
Taught by professional working designers, the course includes considerations such as lighting, materials, furniture and fabric choices, creative use of colour and texture. It all adds up to a valuable experience that teaches general design principles, while encouraging students to test them out at home. Not only is this a great course for anyone seeking to improve their own living space, it is also a perfect introduction to interior design as a starting point to further study.
PRICE: £1,260 (12-week course)
Whether you want to overhaul your own home, you’re interested in becoming an interior designer, or simply want to glean some expert knowledge in decoration, this course is a great starting point. Taught by celebrated interior designer Rita Konig, it offers an exclusive insight into the approach, techniques and processes involved in creating a successful interior project. The course is filmed across two of Rita’s own projects, forming a basis for the learning, which takes place over 36 video lessons to be digested at your own pace. The lessons aim to inspire and build confidence in budding designers, and they cover plenty of ground: ‘Decorating really isn’t just soft upholstery and wallpaper,’ Rita asserts.
‘It is so much about furniture, accessories and that kind of thing, too.’ As such, this wide-ranging course also takes in every aspect of fitting out a space, right down to the purchase of antiques for your home. Indeed, the shopping element has been a favourite part of the course for many students. From finding your own style to working with budgets and planning a room layout, this is an accessible, interesting exploration of interior design, with a wide appeal and a diverse student base: ‘I’m very excited about the number of different people who have used the course and found it useful,’ says Rita. If you want to join their ranks and feel empowered to style your own space, this Create Academy course could be just what you’re looking for.
Find out how Rita Konig designs her home here.
PRICE: £127
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How to Fill Your Home with Colour with Annie Sloan
Annie Sloan truly is the master of colour and paint. As well as writing dozens of books on paint and colour, she has become an icon of the furniture painting world – having even created her own unique paint, Chalk Paint.
This course is spread over four hours of online video lessons, with step-by-step guides on how to use colour confidently throughout your home. Each lesson is broken down into 8 to 15-minute episodes, so you can take the course at your own pace. You’ll also be sent a series of downloadable workbooks, so you can refer back to the course details at a later date.
She’ll take you through the process of painting upcycled furniture and how to add hand-painted designs to your pieces. You’ll also learn about the principle of colour theory and how that can benefit your living space and shape your style.
PRICE: £127
Corey Damen Jenkins teaches Interior Design
One of the US’s most prominent interior designers, Corey Damen Jenkins teaches Masterclass participants all about how to build bold and functional interiors on any budget. He uses his years of experience in creating sleek, elegant spaces for clients across the globe to teach you all about mood boards, space planning, the design process and how to transform your home into a beautiful architectural statement.
PRICE: Masterclass membership starts at £14 per month for all classes
Introduction to Resourceful Interior Styling with Lisa Dawson
Join interiors blogger, writer and stylist Lisa Dawson to learn her top tips from her 2021 bestselling book Resourceful Living. She explains how you can reimagine existing pieces and shop vintage to redesign your home and living space, without breaking the budget and contributing to the environmental impact from mass production.
We’re all wondering how we can live more sustainably, and this course goes some way to explaining how this can be done in an interior design context. Learn about the best places to buy affordable art, how to style your indoor and outdoor areas without having to fork out thousands for a redesign and how to decorate resourcefully. This hour and a half of learning is broken down into bitesize lessons.
Find out what we included in our round-up of the best interiors blogs.
PRICE: £49
Be your own interior designer with Sophie Robinson
Sophie Robinson is an interior designer best known and recognised for her bold, colourful interiors and unique stylings. In this course, she gives you the confidence to design in this very same way. She guides you through all the steps of the process, from learning where to find inspiration and how to make the most of Pinterest to how to create your brief, do a measured survey and drawing of a space, manage a budget and create a sample board with swatches.
Find out about Sophie Robinson’s favourite interior design trends here.
PRICE: £295
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If you’re interested in furniture, check out our round-up of the best furniture upcycling and restoration courses available online and in person.